The new Fern Hollow Bridge, which opened in December after the old one collapsed in January 2022, will close for another month beginning Monday.
The city and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation said in a news release Thursday crews need additional time to finish construction of the remaining two lanes and other aspects of the project. Only two lanes were ready in January when the bridge opened on Forbes Avenue between Squirrel Hill and Point Breeze.
The bridge will be closed until July 7 while Swank Construction Co. performs final milling and paving work, places pavement markings and installs a polyester polymer on the bridge deck. There also will be artistic enhancements to the sidewalk and barrier used to separate vehicular traffic from the sidewalk and bike lane.
In addition to the bridge, the Tranquil Trail in Frick Park underneath it will reopen when the work is finished, along with the protected bike lane and sidewalk. The new mid-block pedestrian crossing near the Squirrel Hill side of the bridge won’t be completed until the fall, when traffic signals are available.
The city’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure will complete other changes to the traffic pattern around the bridge during the closure. Those change include:
- Installing a stop sign on westbound Beechwood Boulevard at Beacon Street to have traffic stops on all sides of the intersection.
- Placing jersey barriers along Forbes Avenue to protect the new two-way cycle track.
- Reducing the speed limit on Forbes Avenue from South Dallas Avenue to Braddock Avenue, consistent with other parts of Forbes.
- Adding a pedestrian walking space on north Beechwood Boulevard that connects to the end of the existing Beechwood sidewalk.
- Installing a speed table on Beechwood to further calm traffic before a bike and pedestrian area.
These changes follow others that were made before the bridge reopened, including changing South Dallas to one-way traffic between Forbes and Beechwood, adding a dedicated left-turn lane on southbound South Dallas, and adding a stop sign on Beechwood at South Dallas.
During this closure, the recommended detour is the same as it was during the bridge replacement: South Dallas Avenue to Penn Avenue to South Braddock Avenue.
PennDOT oversaw the Fern Hollow replacement under an emergency $25.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The collapse of the bridge, which injured 10 people who were in six vehicles, remains under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board.
Ed covers transportation at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at eblazina@unionprogress.com.